Better Than Perfect
by Sara Jaye
Summary: Five happy endings they never had. Ephraim/Lyon with a side of Eirika.
1. Impossible Realities

It was nothing short of a miracle that they'd managed to save him before he was too far gone. It had taken exhausting the power of the Sacred Stone as well as the Latona, and by all accounts it shouldn't have worked. But he was here, he was Lyon again, and he lay half-conscious in Ephraim's arms. Eirika wept with joy, Natasha praised the saints, Grado's knights sighed in relief and Knoll had practically fainted. It was a miracle,_ their_ miracle.

"Lyon," Ephraim choked, holding the slight body tighter against him, "Lyon, _Lyon_."

"Mm...that's right. That's me." Lyon coughed, a pale hand reaching up to grip Ephraim's cloak. "I'm not dreaming, am I...?"

"It's not a dream, Lyon. It's not..." Eirika whispered as she knelt beside them. "Oh, Brother, Lyon..."

"Ahem! As much as I loathe to interrupt the happy reunion," L'Arachel called, "there's still the matter of the beast looming before us!" _Oh, right._ Healing Lyon hadn't exactly killed the Demon King but rather exorcised him from his body, and now he waited to feast on the flesh of everyone who dared challenge him.

"Ephraim, take Lyon somewhere safe," Eirika said. "We'll finish this." And Ephraim stood up, carrying Lyon in his arms as they left the temple. For once in his life, something was more important than battle.

Outside, it was easier than he'd thought to find that somewhere safe. A small glade, free of monsters and other inhabitants. A small glade just like theirs back in Renais.

"Lyon," he said, brushing the other's bangs away from his face. "I still can't believe it's you."

"Mm." Lyon nodded. "I'm sorry, Ephraim. For all the worry I've caused you and Eirika. For all of this..."

"No, Lyon, don't. It wasn't _all_ your fault, it was the Demon King!" Ephraim said. Lyon shook his head, closing his eyes.

"But it was my weakness, my inability to cope that led me down this path. I invited all of this simply because I felt unfit to rule." His shoulders hitched slightly. "All of this...if only I'd been stronger..."

"Lyon..."

"It was my weakness that killed your father and destroyed our lands," Lyon continued. "I've made you and Eirika suffer for so long."

"You did," Ephraim said bluntly. "You were reckless. You messed with something you shouldn't have and it turned you into a monster." Lyon blinked back tears.

"So why did you save me?"

"Because we wanted to." Ephraim held Lyon closer, burying his face in his hair. "Even after all you put us through, we just wanted our old friend back. We knew the real Lyon had to still be in there somewhere. The one who's going to be a perfect Emperor of Grado someday because he cares for his people."

"Ephraim..." Lyon smiled sadly. "Even now you still think too highly of me. We both know I'm not perfect."

"No," Ephraim murmured, stroking Lyon's pale cheek. "You're better than perfect." And he kissed the other boy before he could say anything, drawing back after a long moment to stare into his eyes. "You're Lyon." He kissed him again, quickly. "You're _my_ Lyon."

For the first time in forever, Lyon smiled. A real smile.

"I am." He nestled further into the embrace. "I always will be."

And as he savored the feeling of Lyon, warm and slender and _alive_ in his arms, for the first time since the campaign began, Ephraim let his tears fall.


	2. You're Crazy

"Lyon, let's get married."

"W-what?!" Lyon nearly dropped the wine glass in his hand. "Ephraim, what did you..."

"You heard me." The taller boy took Lyon's hand in his own. "I want to marry you and make you my partner. We'll annex Grado to Renais and rule them together!"

"But we're _men!_ Two men can't get married!" Lyon protested. "And even if we could, what about-I mean, you need to have an _heir,_ Ephraim."

"We'll adopt!"

"From your own bloodline!"

"Then we'll have Eirika carry for us," Ephraim said. "She won't-" He snapped his fingers. "Oh, wait, I forgot. She and Tana ran off to Carcino together. Damn!" A pause "Well, maybe she will anyway! We can invite her and Tana to visit, and-"

Lyon grabbed Ephraim's shoulder, silencing him.

"Listen to yourself, Ephraim, you've gone crazy!"

"Maybe I am." Ephraim pulled him close. "I'm crazy in love with you. Lyon, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Ephraim, I love you too, you know I do," Lyon said.

"So what's stopping us?" Lyon was both amazed and a tiny bit frightened. Ephraim wasn't prone to displays of affection or grand declarations of feelings like this. True, he'd had quite a bit of wine this evening, but even alcohol couldn't account for...well, complete madness.

He'd be lying if he claimed he'd never imagined staying by Ephraim's side forever, of course, but actual _marriage_...the people would be in an uproar, both his and Ephraim's. No matter how appealing the thought was, the whole idea was just crazy.

"We'd never pull this off," Lyon said.

"When there's a will, there's a way," Ephraim said. "Come on, no one did more than raise an eyebrow at Eirika and Tana!"

"Because they're not heirs to their kingdoms, remember? They're not expected to rule, they can do as they please," Lyon reminded him. "Ephraim, don't get me wrong, I'd like nothing more than for us to be together forever, but..." He sighed. "I'm worried."

"Don't be." Ephraim leaned down to kiss him quickly. "Just trust me, okay? We'll find some way to make this work."

Lyon smiled, leaning his head against his lover's shoulder.

"Our fathers aren't going to like this one bit," he murmured. His own father was patient and understanding and King Fado was a kind, caring man, but even they had their limits.

In the end, they convinced Tana and Eirika to return. For appearance's sake, Ephraim claimed Tana and Lyon Eirika, and the true couplings were the worst kept secret among the people. Many protested, many gossiped.

But eventually, Lyon learned to stop caring.


	3. Three's Never A Crowd

All little girls imagine their dream wedding, and Lyon was sure he was the only boy who did the same. He didn't imagine much, just a beautiful ceremony with family and friends in attendance. The most important thing to him was the woman standing beside him.

She came to his side dressed in white frills and lace, took his hands and smiled. In his fantasies she hadn't been dressed quite so lavishly, given her nature, but Princess L'Arachel of Rausten had helped design it so he wasn't surprised. It didn't matter. She could have worn a burlap sack and she would still look incredible.

Her vows were simple and elegant, and despite all the things he longed to tell her so were his. He'd figured out long ago that he didn't need so many words, though, to express how he felt. He took her and she took him for better or worse, in sickness in health, to love and cherish, and when the priest pronounced them husband and wife their kiss was short, but meaningful.

"My Queen," he finally said once they had a moment alone. "It still feels like I'm dreaming. That you would choose me of all potential suitors."

"My sister knows what's important." Lyon smiled as Ephraim approached them, wine glass in hand.

"Thank you, brother," Eirika said. "For being our best man...and so much more." The three of them shared a secretive grin; ever since they were children they'd made a vow to stick together no matter who got married to who in the future. The day Lyon proposed to Eirika, he'd given Ephraim a signet ring with Grado's symbol. Normally Ephraim wore it on a chain around his neck but today he wore it proudly on his left finger. Lyon had taken Eirika as his legal wife, but in his heart he'd taken them both.

"I do hope the people of Renais won't suspect too much if you visit Grado so often," Lyon said. "Or if Eirika and I visit you more often than not."

"They understand our deep friendship," Eirika said. "They'll be none the wiser." Just then, Joshua and Innes called to Ephraim, demanding a gambling contest. It was strange how much Prince Innes loosened up once he'd had a few drinks.

"A man can't back down from a challenge," Ephraim laughed. "I'll see you two later tonight." Eirika grinned, and Lyon blushed slightly as he grinned back.

It was going to be quite an interesting wedding night.

-x-

**NOTE:** Yes, Eirika IS wearing her DLC bridal gown. The idea that L'Arachel dressed her actually comes from a conversation with Measured, so this fic is somewhat dedicated to her.


	4. You Again

She didn't know why she was so drawn to this girl. Pale and slender with long brown hair, a shy smile and a book clutched to her chest, Erin didn't see anything that remarkable about her. But she was making her way over to the girl's desk.

"Excuse me..."

The girl looked up, and a strange shudder went through Erin. She ignored it, swallowed and tried to find her voice.

"I...was just wondering what book that is! I've never seen that cover before, all I ever read are adventure stories," she said. "It looks so _thick!_"

"Oh? This is just a compilation of biographies for every King England's ever had," the girl said.

_"...It's so thick. ...And the letters are so small," the young man complained. "I'm just no good with books. They don't move and I get bored silly."_

_"But you need to read it," his friend said. "You don't want to be scolded again, do you? Your marks are already so poor."_

_"I understand it so much more when you explain it to me, though."_

"Why do you ask?" The girl's voice snapped Erin back to reality, and she blinked. What had that just been?

"Oh...no reason, really." Erin smiled. "Are you new? I haven't seen you around town before."

"Yes, my family just moved here from Edinburgh," the girl said. "My name is Lila."

"Nice to meet you, Lila. I'm Erin." This time it was Lila who shuddered and seemed to space out for a moment. "Er...are you okay?"

"Oh! I'm fine," Lila said, shaking her head. "Terribly sorry about that! I tend to space out a bit now and then...my mother and father always worry for me. I wasn't born strong, and though I'm supposed to be really smart sometimes I..." She yelped. "Oh! I didn't mean to go on like that!"

_"I'm not very strong, I know. I...I wish I could be more like-_

"It's okay!" Erin said quickly. "I'm strong, but I'm not very smart. Dad says if I get another D on my report card he's hiring tutors for me." Again, Lila blinked, shuddered and zoned out. _Could she be..._

"Which subject?" Lila asked once she returned to reality.

"_All_ of them!" Erin laughed. "I just don't care about studying that much. All I want to do when I grow up is be the first woman prizefighter!"

"A prizefighter...I could never do that. I just want to help make this world a better place," Lila sighed. The feeling came_ again_, stronger than ever this time. For a moment she saw silver hair and violet eyes in place of brown and grey. "Ly-"

"-on." Lila shook her head. "You were about to..."

_"Lyon... Wait! Don't close your eyes! I'm going to save you! I'll find a way! I..."_

_"No, Ephraim...it's too late for me. I deserve this..."_

_"Lyon..."_

_"C'mon, Ephraim. Smile for me, like you used to..."_

And then the two girls were falling into each other's arms, tears streaming down Lila's face and Erin struggling to keep hers back.

"It's you," she choked. "The moment I saw you, I...somehow I just knew. I mean, I didn't realize it, but..."

"The moment you told me your name, I felt it. I died in your arms Erin. I mean..._Ephraim_." Lila sniffled. "You begged me to hold on, but it was too late. The last thing I ever saw was your smile."

"After I killed you," Erin said. "I had to, it was the only way. We always regretted never being able to save you, Lyon. Er, Lila. I mean-"

"It doesn't matter if we're Ephraim and Lyon or Erin and Lila," Lila said. "We're together again, and that's the important thing. The weak little genius and her strong friend."

"You mean the thick-headed idiot and her compassionate friend," Erin laughed. And then their lips met, with no warning or thought. Naturally, as if they were meant to be more than just friends.

"Come to my flat after school," Erin said. "I want you to meet my brother and my father."

"I'd love to!" Lila squealed as they joined hands and walked to their first period class.

Over at Vales Academy for Boys, Eddie Reinhardt felt a strange shiver go through him, and he knew his life was about to change forever.


	5. Talk Me Down

Word hadn't yet spread of Emperor Vigarde's death, but Ephraim and Eirika were naturally the first to know outside of Grado. In the last few weeks they'd spent as much time as they could with him, doing all they could to comfort and distract him. But neither of them knew the period of mourning would soon be over. One day in the practice yard, he told Ephraim of his secret plan.

"I've finally been granted access to the Fire Emblem," he said. "If its energies can fully heal a child's burns, the power of the stone itself can surely bring a person back to life!" Ephraim looked confused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow.

"Lyon, you don't mean-"

"I was hoping to surprise you, but I can't leep it to myself anymore," Lyon said. "Ephraim, I intend to revive my father using the stone! He'll live, and then I won't have to take Grado's throne until I'm sure I'm capable! Isn't that wonderful?"

For a long time, Ephraim was silent. Lyon's stomach tightened nervously, perhaps talking about this had been a bad idea. Ephraim didn't know a thing about magic, after all, he was probably bored silly just-

"Don't do it."

"Ephraim?"

"I know little of magic, I'll be the first to admit," Ephraim said. "So I wouldn't know how you'd make this work. But Lyon, raising the dead is...it just doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Oh, it will work! I have a plan," Lyon insisted.

"Somehow I think it not working is the least of the problems," Ephraim said. "I'd abandon this plan of yours."

"But I've studied so long and hard!" Lyon protested. "I know what the stone is capable of, I've worked it out perfectly. With the stone's power and my magic, Father will live. This will happen, Ephraim!"

"Lyon!" Ephraim grabbed his shoulders and for a moment Lyon feared; Ephraim would never hurt anyone on purpose but he was so much stronger. His face was more serious than Lyon had ever seen it before. "Don't. Just _don't_. You don't know what you're getting yourself into, you don't know what will happen." His gaze softened. "You say the stone's power and your magic will bring him back. That's got to be some powerful magic, then. What if it harms you? Or worse, costs you your life?"

"I...hadn't thought of that, but-"

"But nothing." And Ephraim's arms were suddenly around him, hugging him tightly. "Lyon, you don't know how many people would be devastated if they lost you. Eirika and I would be at the top of that list. Please...don't do this."

"Ephraim..." Lyon leaned against his friend with a defeated sigh. "I'm scared. I'm not ready to rule an entire country, not like Father. The people loved him to no ends...what if I'm not as good as he is?"

"You will be," Ephraim said. "Your father believed in you, and so do Eirika and I, and your people. You'll be fine."

"I miss him," Lyon mumbled. "Father was the greatest man I ever knew..."

"He's still with you. Everything he ever taught you, Lyon, his spirit...he'll be with you. And so will we."

For the first time since his father took ill, Lyon felt a smile crossing his face.

"I'll do my best, then. For him...and for the people of Grado," he said. "Thank you, Ephraim, for talking me out of making a big mistake." Ephraim smiled and helped him stand, locking an arm around him.

"Let's go back to the castle before Eirika gets worried."

The following day, Lyon announced his father's death to the citizens. In the coming weeks he would slowly grow accustomed to his new role, and the people soon sang the praises of Emperor Lyon of Grado.


End file.
